1952 Dallas Texans[]
A precursor to the Cowboys, the Dallas Texans competed in 1952 and finished 1-11. The team folded and was returned to the league in mid-season, and played as a traveling team. The league awarded the franchise to a group of investors in Baltimore, headed by Carroll Rosenbloom, in 1953.
1960 - 1966 Early struggles[]
In 1960, Clint Murchison, Jr. was awarded an NFL franchise in Dallas, as a response to the new AFL franchise. He named his team the Cowboys and named Tom Landry head coach. On September 24 1960, Dallas played its first ever game, a 35-24 loss to Pittsburgh. The Cowboys finished 0-11-1 in 1960. In 1961, they joined the Eastern Conference and won their first game 27-24 over Minnesota. However, Dallas went 4-9-1 in 1961. In 1962 they went 5-8-1. 1963 saw them finish 4-10 and 1964 went 5-8-1. The Cowboys went 7-7 in 1965. In 1966 Don Meredith led the team to a 10-3-1 record and they played Green Bay in the 1966 NFL Championship.
1966 NFL Championship[]
Bart Starr and the Pack got a 14-0 lead but Dallas fought back and it was 21-13 Green Bay at the half. Meredith threw a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-20. Bart Starr threw his 3rd touchdown to Boyd Dowler to take a 28-20 lead but Cowboy cornerback Mike Geghter leveled Dowler in the end zone and injured Dowler. After a Cowboy punt, Starr threw a touchdown to Max McGee to take a 34-20 lead. Meredith with 3:12 to go in the game threw a 68 yard touchdown pass to Frank Clarke to make it 34-27. Green Bay punted and Dallas drove to the Packer 2 yard line. On 1st down, Dallas lost 4 yards. On 2nd down and 3rd down they got back the 2. Then it was 4th down with 0:45 left. Meredith rolled out to his right and linebacker Dave Robinson wrapped him up but Meredith slung a wonky pass into the end zone that was intercepted by Tom Brown. Green Bay went on to win Super Bowl I, 35-10.
1967 NFL Championship[]
In the coldest game in NFL history, Bart Starr's Pack again took a 14-0 lead in the 2nd quarter. Dallas scored 10 unanswered points to make it 14-10 at the half. With 15:00 left in the game, Dan Reeves threw a 50 yard touchdown to Lance Rentzel to take a 17-14 lead. Green Bay scored on a quarterback sneak to win 21-17. Green Bay won Super Bowl 2 33-14.
1966-1979 Years of Dominance[]
In 1967, Dallas went 9-5, beat Cleveland 52-14 and played the Packers in the Ice Bowl but lost the classic 21-17. In 1968 Dallas went 12-2 but lost to the Browns 31-20 in the first round of the playoffs. 1969 gave them an 11-2-1 record but Dallas fell 38-14 to the Browns. In 1970, Dallas slipped to 10-4 but made the playoffs. In the Divisional round against the Lions, Dallas scored 5 points in a 5-0 win. They beat the 49ers 17-10 the next week to advance to Super Bowl 5. Dallas lost 16-13 but Cowboy Chuck Howley won MVP. Dallas went 11-3 in 1971 and beat Minnesota 20-12 and the 49ers 14-3. In Super Bowl 6, Dallas won 24-3 over Miami. In 1972 they went 10-4 and beat the 49ers again 30-28. Then they lost 26-3 to the Redskins. 1973 saw them go 10-4 with a 27-16 win over the Rams but a disappointing 27-10 loss to the Vikings. In 1974 they went 8-6 and missed the playoffs. 1975 saw Dallas go 10-4 beating Minnesota 17-14 and Los Angeles 37-7 but lose Super Bowl 10 21-17 to Pittsburgh. In 1976, Dallas went 11-3 but was stunned 14-12 by the Rams. In 1977, Dallas went 12-2 and beat Chicago 37-7 and Minnesota 23-6 and they won Super Bowl 12 27-10 over Denver. 1978 saw a 12-4 year and Dallas beat Atlanta 27-20 and the Rams 28-0 to reach Super Bowl 13. Pittsburgh won again 35-31. Dallas went 11-5 but lost 21-19 to the Rams. Roger Staubach retired and the era ended.
| 49ers Cowboys | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 17 | 14 | 30 |
| 49ers | 10 | 3 | 28 |
| Total | Dallas 61 | 49ers 41 |
1980-1986 Danny White Era[]
In 1980, Dallas went 12-4 and beat Atlanta 30-27 before losing 20-7 to the Eagles. In 1981, they went 12-4 and beat Tampa 38-0 but lost to the 49ers 28-27 on The Catch, in what is regarded as the greatest game in NFL history. In 1982, they went 6-3 and beat Tampa 30-17 and Green Bay 37-26. They lost 31-17 to the Redskins. In 1983, Dallas went 12-4 and lost 24-17 to L.A. In 1984, they went 9-7 and missed the playoffs. Then they went 10-6 in 1985 but lost 20-0 to the Rams. In 1986, they went 7-9.
1987-1990 Hard-Losing[]
Dallas went 7-8 in 1987 and 3-13 in 1988 leading to the firing of Tom Landry and the hiring of Jimmy Johnson. In 1989, Dallas hit rock bottom going 1-15. In 1990, they went 7-9
1991 - 2000 Dallas Dynasty 2.0[]
1991 saw an 11-5 record with a win over Chicago 17-13 but a loss 38-6 to Detroit